


Determining Protocol

by Beastrage



Category: The Murderbot Diaries - Martha Wells
Genre: Canon Compliant, Canon Pronouns Used, Character Study, Gen, It's...sort of affective?, Miki tries Friendship!, POV Nonhuman, POV Outsider, Rogue Protocol Spoilers, Unreliable Narrator, on Murderbot at least
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:15:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25226659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beastrage/pseuds/Beastrage
Summary: The fic in which Miki’s everything meets Murderbot’s ongoing trauma and the friendship that never was.Miki POV on Rogue Protocol
Relationships: Miki & Murderbot (Murderbot Diaries)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 113





	Determining Protocol

It begins with a promise.

Well, in actual chronological order, it starts with a drone. A drone that Miki now knows acts as an extension of Security Consultant Rin’s fact-gathering net, but had lacked access to that information at that current point in time. Due to there being no input on the feed from said drone. 

But enough to conclude, later, that someone had been listening when Miki sent out its ping. A someone who was a bot. A bot like itself. 

But the final conclusion on “Security Consultant Rin,” who prefers the determination of “Rin,” comes from the promise. 

Rin doesn’t  _ have  _ to promise. Miki feels along the edge of the existence that is Rin’s and it is much more...widespread than Miki’s own, with connections that could entangle themselves with Miki’s, all without alerting the main processes to their presence. 

Very organic, unlike Miki’s, and Hirune would make the comparison of roots breaking apart a rock if Miki told her of this. 

Rin does not have to promise to protect Miki’s human friends. 

But it makes that choice to, despite the other available options. 

And for that...Miki is led to the conclusion: “Rin” could be a  _ friend.  _

Was a friend, even. 

Miki has never been friends with a bot like itself. A bot free to act on its own determined conclusions, gathering its own data.

And one of those conclusions that “Rin” had come to, was to protect Miki’s human friends. Rin did not  _ need  _ to answer Miki’s ping as well, to fulfil its purpose, from what data the bot had collected. 

But it had. 

Even if it insisted on not sharing its true designation, it still promised. 

_ Meant  _ that promise. 

More facts that supported the idea that “Rin” could be a friend of Miki’s:

-the sharing of data freely, no constraints placed.

-the before mentioned of “Rin’s” duties not requiring to ping Miki but pinging Miki back despite that. 

-“Rin” used the term “friends” though it was very clear it was going to use a different term altogether. It had changed its mind for Miki. 

-it answered Miki’s questions like Don Abene did.

-it sought more information to protect Don Abene’s team properly (unlike the human security). 

-The Promise. 

All very good solid facts. But if they were friends, then why did Rin not want to talk to Miki’s human friends?

Miki is a clever bot, due to much of its processing devoted to carefully gathering information and making solid factual conclusions from that information like a proper science bot does.    
Though it may not have a lot of information on the Corporation Rim (note: gather more on the completion of the current mission), it knows a few things about the humans there. Properly shared with Miki by Don Abene and the rest of the team. 

Namely, the humans of the Corporation Rim did not believe free bots existed. 

Memory clip playback: 

_ “I’m sorry, Miki, but you’ll be considered our “property” while on this mission.” _

_ “Why is that?” _

_ “Well, it’s because there are laws where we are going that state all bots must have an owner. Even if we’re really friends, not owner and property.” _

From that extra information, Rin’s reason for reticence becomes very clear. Without a nearby human to “claim” property over Rin in this sector of space, Rin ran the hazard of being considered a “rogue” and thus being removed entirely from the mission.

Even with it clearly fulfilling its protocols and function, the exact opposite of a rogue bot.

Humans could be odd, at times. 

Oh, maybe Don Abene would be happy to claim Rin as “property” (as defined by the Corporation Rim) but not actually own Rin and then Rin would not have to be so concerned about losing its ability to function!

That would be a very good logic route to follow. 

But hm, Rin did not want Don Abene to know about it. So that would not end up working very well at all. Hm. A problem. 

(What if Don Abene found out and then befriended “Rin” as Miki knows she would, allowing Rin to trust Miki’s human friends properly...Miki sets some of its processes to finding a way for that simulation to occur in reality.)

Outside that simulation, outside of interacting with its friends...

Miki spreads out its scan, allowing Rin to access its feed as the security bot searches for possible hazards and threats. 

Playing little attention to Miki in the process but just enough for Miki to be aware of how Rin sought to protect Miki as well, with that data. 

Which is very nice but not as nice as knowing that Rin will protect Miki’s human friends no matter what. Not like Security Consultants Gerth and Wilkin, who do not seem as half as careful as Rin. They may be physically there, in a way Rin is not, but...it is silly and not as logical as Miki should be, but they do not listen to Don Abene, to Hirune, in the way Rin listens to Miki. 

And Miki  _ knows  _ that Rin sees it as a bot lacks all necessary information about how one has good security, which is...correct since security is Rin’s function and not Miki’s. 

Rin doesn’t  _ have  _ to listen to Miki, as it carries out its function, but it does. 

Consultants Gerth and Wilkin do not pay half the attention Rin does, to its human friends. 

The probability exists that nothing may be wrong. 

Miki would not even be aware of what these Security Consultants lack, if not for Rin. But...

Miki will watch. For its friends. 

Since Rin is focusing on outside threats...Miki will watch the Consultants Gerth and Wilkin for it. Just in case. 

Friends help friends, after all. 


End file.
